Not a "Fun" Mom
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:39 PM
In today’s podcast we talked about parenting little ones, and I mentioned how much joy I get from my children. They are precious to me, and being their mother fills my heart with happiness on a day to day basis.
I know, that sounds cheesy, but it’s true.
What I didn’t mention, because it wasn’t the topic of the podcast, but which is also true: I think I might enjoy my kids a lot more than they enjoy me.
I don’t mind confessing it. I am not a fun mom. I try hard to be a patient, gentle, and loving parent, and I think I succeed most of the time. But honestly, most of the time I forget to make an effort to entertain my children. I’ll happily read to them, but playing games? Even peek-a-boo sessions with the baby are few and far between.
Some mothers I know seem to have a huge capacity for playing with their kids. They have my fervent admiration. As for me, even on beautiful spring days I think twice before suggesting a trip to the park. There’s always a battle in my head between The kids would really love it! and Oh, but I would not. The answer usually comes down to how penitential I’m feeling on that particular day.
I’m sure that my being this kind of a mother is a surprise to no one who has known me for a while. As a child I was a dedicated bookworm. I spent plenty of time outdoors, but for much of it I was curled up in the hammock or perched on a branch in my favorite tree with a book. This earned me the neighborhood nickname “A.T.* Readmore” but I couldn’t have cared less. To me, it was a mystery why other kids would want to spend their time running around when reading was obviously so much more interesting.
What I’m really looking forward to is the day when my kids are old enough to look after themselves, and I can take them to the park but bring a book along. In the meantime, I’m not sure what the right balance is, exactly.
I certainly believe it’s good for my kids to learn to be creative and entertain themselves. I also think it’s great that they’re learning to play together without me guiding or mediating. But on the other hand, surely it’s good for them to play with their mama sometimes. How much, I’m not sure, but *never* doesn’t seem like the right amount.
How old do you think they have to be to play Boggle?
*my maiden name was Thomas
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